What is the hardcore communist government in North Korea like?

This is a very broad question and there are many possible ways to answer it. One way to answer is to say that the North Korean government is brutal with its people and irresponsibly aggressive in its actions towards other countries.

The North Korean government does and has done things to other countries that almost no other government would ever contemplate doing. They have kidnapped Japanese citizens to help teach them about Japanese society. They have sunk South Korean ships without provocation and have attacked South Korean soil with artillery and commandos. They have fired missiles over Japan. All of these things are acts that at least bring about the risk of war.

The North Korean government is harsh with its own people. Its economic programs have failed to improve the country’s economy yet the government takes the bulk of the food and other goods that are available and gives them to party elites. This has helped lead to mass starvation in the country, alleviated only by foreign aid. The government punishes dissent harshly and has a large system of prison camps in which it treats prisoners very badly. This is a government that cares about regime survival above all and does not show much concern at all for the well-being of the mass of its citizens.

Thus, North Korea’s government is brutal domestically and aggressive in its foreign policy.